1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dispensing device which dissolves solubles and discharges a controllable amount of aqueous solution of a soluble substance, such as fertilizers or pesticides.
2. Description of Related Art
Presently, the most predominant method of spreading lawn chemicals is with the use of a spreader which sifts and discharges the chemical uniformly over a certain area. The user directs the spreader in a path forming rows, each successive row slightly overlapping the previous row. This is usually a timely process. In some cases, it may be difficult for the user to determine where one row overlaps the other, thus making it difficult to uniformly spread the chemical substance over the area as a whole. In addition, chemicals usually come in a powder or granular form and as a result may be inconvenient or messy to handle. Further, spreaders can be expensive and are typically constructed of metal parts which are subject to corrosion and are inconvenient to store.
Dissolving dispensers are in existence today which have applications related to but not limited to dissolving and discharging soluble lawn and garden chemical products. U.S. Pat. No. 1,904,428 to ENEMARK (issued Apr. 18, 1933) is a container which has a rotatable valve that enables the user to select one of a variety of chambers in whole or in part. Each chamber may contain a different chemical substance or no chemical substance at all. The water flows solely through the chamber selected. This structural arrangement limits the control over the level of the concentration of the solution being discharged.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,918 to MOULDER (issued Sep. 26, 1967) is a dissolver container which is placed in line with a water source and a discharge device. This dissolver has a tubular section in line with the inlet port and the outlet port. The tubular section is surrounded by an annular chamber where the soluble substance is placed. This device, because of its construction, directs the flow of the water through the central tubular section, offering no apparent turbulence or means to deflect the water into and the solution out of the annular chamber containing the soluble substance, thus limiting the control of the concentration of the solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,308 to BRADLEY et. al. (issued Jan. 20, 1976) is a device having a spherical chamber which holds the soluble substance. The chamber can be refilled by removing a cap located at the top of the sphere. Also located at the top of the sphere is a rotating sprinkler head which discharges the solution over a given area dependent on the pressure of the water source. The inlet port is constructed to create a turbulence in the sphere whereby increasing the rate of solubility. This device, having a sprinkler head attached to the outlet, is limited in its application. The user may desire to use a discharge device other than a sprinkler, such as a nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,179 to KNAPP (issued Jul. 20, 1982) is a transparent container which may be placed in line with a water source and a discharge device, such as a sprinkler. This device, however, requires the use of a cartridge which contains a soluble gel and a dye. The dye functions to indicate when the cartridge has expired. This cartridge may be costly and may not be as readily available to the user as the chemicals in their generic form.
Though the most common method of spreading lawn chemicals is with the use of a mechanical spreader, products are available which dissolve the chemicals and discharge an aqueous solution through some discharge means, such as a sprinkler. The products available, however, offer substantially limited control over the concentration of the solution discharged. Moreover, the products offer little control of the source of water entering the inlet opening. Some are limited by the soluble substance which can be accommodated, such as the requirement of a cartridge which may be costly or may not be as readily available as chemicals in their most common form. Structural limitations may not permit the user to easily inspect the amount of soluble substance remaining to be discharged or may limit the products use, such as for sprinkling only.
It is, therefore, one of the objects of the present invention to provide a dispenser which offers control over the level of concentration of the discharged solution.
Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser that will enable the user to use a variety of soluble substances in various forms.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide the user with a means to monitor the charge of soluble substance by physically observing the soluble substance remaining in the chamber through the transparent construction of the device.
It is further an object of the present invention to enable the user, by means of a control valve located adjacent the inlet opening, to decrease or stop the flow of water entering the device through the inlet opening, thereby easing the effort in refilling the chamber.